


I Don't Really Have a Say in this do I?

by Cornuts360



Series: Doctor Who Alternate Universes [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Human Doctor (Doctor Who), Hurt/Comfort, Love, Mute Doctor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21814444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornuts360/pseuds/Cornuts360
Summary: Clara meets a man in the park.A Human Whouffaldi AU but the Doctor is mute.
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor & Clara Oswin Oswald, Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald
Series: Doctor Who Alternate Universes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1693993
Comments: 25
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

It was autumn and the school year has just begun. Clara Oswald is a school teacher who teaches English at Coal Hill School. She wakes up, annoyed that her phone woke her up. Clara was also annoyed at the fact that it was a new school year. She really didn't want to work, but she has to. You can't be more of a disappointment to your family! Ever since her Mum died, it went somewhat downhill. Her Dad had a new fiance, soon to be wife, Linda. God, how much Clara despised her. But, anything for her Dad and Gran. Clara took a quick wash, did her makeup, ate some toast. She decided to get coffee on the way. She grabbed her keys and jacket and made her way out of her apartment, right after she closed her Unit door.

\--------------

Clara walked into her nearby Starbucks to order some coffee. Enough for her to sustain the day without losing her 'cool'. When she ordered her coffee and went off to the side to wait for her drink, the person beside her began ordering. He was taller than her, that's for sure. His hair was all grey and fluffy. He had really expressive eyebrows too. He also wore a pair of ear pods. No, not airpods. Not all of us are rich and can afford airpods. The man began typing on his phone and presented it to the barista. The barista began reading the phone and punched in some words on the machine. The man took off his earphones and slung it around his neck. 

Clara didn't realize she was just staring at him until her trance was cut off by someone tapping her shoulder.  
"Hey, I'm sorry. Are you Clara?" a woman behind the counter asked.  
"Oh! I'm so sorry. Yes, I am! Thank you." she took the coffee off of the barista's hand and walked out the Starbucks.

Still, in Starbucks, the man watched the woman walking away swiftly. Purely out of embarrassment. As he watched her walk out the coffee shop, he raised an eyebrow until focussing back on his phone until his name was called, "ORDER FOR JOHN SMITH?"  
He raised his hand for a bit to tell them it was him. The woman behind the counter slid the drink into his hands. With a nod as a 'thank you', he placed his earphones back in his ears, took the drink and left the coffee shop.

\--------------

The school day came by quickly. Since it was only the first day of school, the entire day was just filled with icebreakers for the new and old students. When the day ended, there was no coffee from this morning, since she finished it by the afternoon. As she collected her belongings and exit the school, she walked back home the route she took. She walked rather slow, but as she neared her home, she decided to take a little detour. Across the Starbucks near her apartment, there was a small little park. There were a few benches splayed out along with a playground off to the side. Parents were there, with strollers and little children playing in the park. When Clara walked closer to the park, she spotted the same man from the Starbucks this morning.

Curious, for some reason, she was curious about this man. Why did he show his phone to the man behind the cash register? Clara sat beside him and set her bag aside. From the depths of her bag, she took out a book, 'Pride and Prejudice' of course. Her go-to book from her favorite author Jane Austen. She has read this book numerous times that she lost count. As she tried reading her book, she heard a pencil scratching against paper. Clara glanced to her side to look at the man. Back at Starbucks, she only focused on his phone and his face, but now, she examined what he was wearing. He was wearing a navy blue coat with a pair of blue pants with a pair of Docs. She looked down on the bench and saw the inside of the coat on display. It was a nice red color. Poking out of the collar, was a grey hoodie. He looked a bit like a magician, she thought.

Clara's eyes drifted down to what he was doing. He was very focused on his sketch with his earphones on. Clara tried to make out what he was drawing, but she didn't realize she got too close to the man, he covered the sketch with the book cover. He looked down at her and she looked up embarrassed.  
'Wow. Again? You really just embarrassed yourself TWICE. Good job, Clara Oswald.' she thought to herself, but she mustered the courage to talk to him, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." she looked off to the side avoiding eye contact, but it was so hard for her to do that when she could feel his stare.  
She couldn't help but look back, becoming a bit annoyed, "Can you... I don't know, stop staring at me?"  
The man was startled, his eyebrows going haywire before he came back to his sketch. A hand on his cheek to prevent looking at her, until she heard a sigh from beside him, "I'm sorry about that. God, what is wrong with me?"

The woman looked at him once more, "whatcha listening to?"  
He looked at her, then the man pulled out his right earphone and cleaned before offering it to her. He nodded towards it telling her to listen. Reluctantly, she took the earphones and placed it in her ear. The soft sounds of the guitar began playing and a voice rang through both their ears, 'Didn't know what time it was, lights were low-ow-ow.-"  
She looked up at him and asked, "are you a fan of Bowie?"  
He nodded back in response.

After a while of listening to Bowie, she handed back the earphone to the man and packed her things. "I gotta go. Sorry about that. Oh!"  
The man looked up from the sketch he was doing waiting for her to continue.  
She stuck out a hand, "I'm Clara by the way. Clara Oswald."  
Hesitantly, he shook her hand. He wanted to speak, but... he can't. He opened his mouth but immediately closed it.  
"I get it. I understand you don't want to talk," she said. "It was nice meeting you though!" she waved a goodbye and off she goes.

He simply stared at her. 'Ugh! Again with the staring Doctor? That's just wrong you don't just stare." he thought to himself. He frowned at himself before looking at the drawing on his sketchbook. One page was a sketch of the park, the other was of her. Clara, when she was listening to Bowie. Her head looking up at the trees. A beautiful side profile. A strong jawline but with a pretty round face with a cute nose and unbelievably huge eyes. He smiled. The world around him became a bit dimmer than usual and a drop of water fell from the sky. The water made its way to his sketchbook. He looked up and a drop fell to his forehead. He quickly packed all his items. It wasn't much. It was just a sketchbook, pencil and eraser, and made his way out of the park.

As he entered the sidewalk, he began speed walking down the rows of houses, passing an intersection before taking a left. He continued walking until he stopped at a building. He stepped in and fumbled with his keys. He entered the lobby and took the elevator up. He came up to floor 12 and made his way to room 12. 1212 was his number. His flat was a bit small, but it worked out if you're living alone. The Doctor opened the door to his flat and stepped. Before closing the door, he glanced up to find the same woman- Clara opening a door across from him. She lived there apparently.  
The Doctor looked back down and closed the door to his flat before opening the light.

From the inside of his jacket, he pulled out the sketchbook and flipped to the page where he drew Clara. There was a wave of affection that washed over him as he looked at the sketch. He smiled. He closed the sketchbook and made his way into his own home.

Clara unlocked the door to her apartment and locked it. She placed her bag in the living room and took off her shoes. Today has been an exhausting day for her despite it only being icebreakers. But... the man at the park listening to David Bowie and sketching the scenery. She smiled. It was something different and she quite liked it. He may have looked intimidating for a bit, but he was actually quite nice. She wanted to ask why he couldn’t talk. But that was personal so she left it for another day.

Maybe tomorrow, they should meet up again. 

The two thought. The Doctor and Clara pondered for a moment in their own apartments and thought, “yeah. That’s gonna be a great idea.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is greatly appreciated!!!! I need some criticism!!!!!

It was now Tuesday. Clara woke up a bit earlier since the weather has been acting up now. It was a bit windier and got slightly colder, she feared the weather but she still pushed on, wearing makeup and left her flat. When she arrived at the Starbucks it was a bit of long line so she had to stand and wait around. She looked around the area, occasionally looking down on her phone to check up her social media. She didn't realize there was a small gap until the man behind her tapped her shoulder and pointed out what was in front of her, which was a small gap. With a startle, she stepped forward and looked behind her, "Sorry I got a bit distracted..." she trailed off as she looked up to see who the man was. It was the same man from the park.  
"Hey, you're the man from the park!"  
He responded with a small smile and a nod. Clara looked back at the front and stepped forward, she was going to be the next person. When the person in front of her left, she stepped up and ordered her usual. She paid the cashier and stepped off to the side to wait for her order. Beside her, was the Doctor who stuck out his phone to the cashier who once again punched in some words. Probably his order. What was Clara thinking, of course, it was his order. When he finished ordering, he began waiting beside Clara.  
Clara wanted to ask him if he wanted to hang out in the park when she finishes work. So that is in fact what she does.

She looked up at the man and tapped his arm, startled at the sudden contact, Clara got his attention. He raised his eyebrows before furrowing them looking at Clara.  
"Sorry... Didn't mean to scare you a bit. I was just wondering if you want to meet at the same park we met?"  
He thought for a moment before nodding with a content smile unfurrowing his brows.  
"Does... around 3:40 work?"  
He nodded once more before the barista announced her name, "CLARA?"  
Clara looked for the barista and headed towards the counter for her drink. She grabbed a napkin and took her drink before going back to the Doctor.  
"I'll see you later, yeah?" she said smiling up at the Doctor.  
He nodded back with a little smile. With that, Clara left Starbucks. 

"JOHN SMITH?", the Doctor turned his head away from the door and went to take his drink. 

\-----------------

After getting coffee, the Doctor went to his shop several blocks away. It was a bit of a long walk, but a walk none the less. It was a little art studio. It had an assortment of paints, different sized canvases and many brushes from big to small, wide or thin. He also owned some charcoal, moldable erasers, sketchbooks all sorts of stuff. He unlocked the store and flipped the sign to open. At the door, besides the time the shop opens and closes, a sign on top of it says, "The Doctor is Mute."  
He thought at first, the sign is a giveaway, but he has to let people know that he was mute, otherwise, he'd get yelled at by some rude art students or enthusiasts and whatnot.

The business wasn't as slow as usual. Just a few blocks away, there was an art school. Every start of the school year, he would make some of the prices affordable. Sure, some students were a bit rude to him, but he always dealt with it. As he was closing for today at 3:00. (A lot of people would think that's insanely early but on the weekends he has all his time in the shop.) A girl walked into the shop looking around, huffing and puffing clearly out of breath. The Doctor recognized this girl by the name of Bill.

"Hiya!" she gasped for some air as she held her legs. "Sorry... I needed to calm down for a bit if it's fine with you?" she looked up to seek the Doctor's approval. He nodded and asked for her to take a seat. Without hesitation, she rushed to the counter where a seat was vacant. The Doctor took out a whiteboard from the counter with a dry erase marker and began writing on the board. 

"What's up with you? You look like you just ran a marathon." it said.  
"Oh, I needed something. I have no idea what though..."  
The Doctor erased his writing and wrote down something else.  
"You wanted to hang around for a bit?"  
Bill nodded, "Yeah." 

Conversations with the Doctor is a bit weird. Not in a bad way! But it's always a bit slow. Not a lot of people know sign, that's why he always types down or writes out what he says. He can hear perfectly fine, but teaching people how to do sign-language is harder. So, he refrains from doing so. He looked up at the clock to find that it was already 3:30. His eyes widen. How time flies. 

He tapped Bill who was just jamming on to some tune, on the shoulder he signaled for her to leave by pointing at her, then the door and tapped his wrist to tell her it was closing time. Bill nodded in recognition, she took her bag and was ready to leave before telling the Doctor, "See you, Doctor! Thanks for letting me stick around."  
He gave her a thumbs up and a nod before she left. 

\-----------------

It was 3:40 and Clara began walking to the park. Upon walking there, she spotted the man sitting on the bench looking for her. His head turned and his eyes met hers. His face lit up and scooted to the side. When Clara approached the bench, she placed her bag beside her and shifted a bit to be close to the man. He offered an earphone to Clara which she took and placed on her right ear. The man scrolled through his phone in search of a playlist. He stopped scrolling and pressed shuffle on a playlist. It began playing Panic! At the Disco. 

Clara cocked her head to the side, eyebrows furrowed, "I never knew you were fond of Panic! At the Disco"  
He just shrugged and the two listened to the music. It was playing, "This Is Gospel"  
After a few minutes of comfortable silence and the next song began playing was "The Ballad of MonaLisa", Clara asked the man, "What's your name?" he looked at her and opened his phone. He went to his notes app and typed down, "My name is John Smith, but people call me the Doctor"  
"What are you a Doctor of?" Clara asked.  
"It's just a stage name." He typed. Clara nodded and continued listening to music. The Doctor pulled out something from his coat. It was a small sketchbook and a pencil. He opened the book and set the pencil down on a blank page.  
Clara watched him draw. There were a lot of lines, but the lines looked as if it was him. It was a self-portrait of himself, but his lips were sewn shut.  
"Why do you have stitches on your mouth? I'm sorry if that seems insensitive. I was just wondering..." the Doctor raised his hand a bit to tell her it's ok. He pulled up his phone and began typing on the notes app. 

'I'm mute.'

Clara stared at him after she read what he typed. She didn’t realize her mouth was agape until she closed it.  
“I didn’t know that! Well... that explains a lot.”  
The Doctor frowned and looked at her.  
“Oh god... was that rude? Sorry! I just...” she wanted to huddle herself up into a ball. The Doctor wasn’t exactly good with emotions, but he was hesitant about placing a hand on her shoulder. He didn’t refrain from doing it though, so he placed a hand on her shoulder before tapping. He typed down something on his phone and held it to Clara, “What’s your phone #?”  
“Give me your phone?” She asked so she could punch in her number.  
The Doctor unlocked his phone and scrolled to his contacts and pressed the plus button. He then passed the phone to Clara. She typed down her number, snapped a picture of herself and gave it back to the Doctor. He looked down on his phone and pressed messages and typed.  
'Hey!'  
Clara's phone rang in her pocket. When she took her phone, she looked at the notification from an Unknown Number. Clara already knew it was the Doctor.  
She typed down, "Hey, Doctor!" Smiling, she looked up at him to which he smiled back. The two looked back down on their phones.  
The Doctor typed, 'You can just continue talking normally. I can still hear you. You know that right?'  
Clara looked up at him and said, "Yeah... Right. You can."

The two quieted down a bit when the song changed again. It was playing 'Always'  
"I never took you for an alternative rock or an emo person."  
The Doctor looked at her slightly confused. He typed, 'Emo? Well... this isn't even my playlist. It's my friend's playlist.'  
"Really? Do they happen to be a fifteen-year-old emo girl?"  
'Actually... Yes. They in fact are.' the Doctor read the message he sent and gave himself a scowl. It sounded wrong, he didn't mean it that way!  
"I know you don't mean it that way, Doctor." Clara laughed as he turned his head away in embarrassment. He continued typing on his phone, "her name is Bill and she's not totally emo. She goes by my shop down a few blocks that way." he sent the text.  
Clara got the text, she read and looked up at him who was pointing to the direction to his shop.  
"What's in the shop?" Clara asked.  
'Paints, Canvases, Brushes. All the artsy stuff.' 

The melody of the guitar and Brendon's voice filled their ears. The Doctor typed, 'I've listened to this playlist the past weekend now. This song is starting to grow on me and becoming one of my favourites.'  
Clara looked at him, "why? If you listen to it closely, it's pretty sad."  
'I know... but everything ends, and it's always sad...' he looked down on his lap and put on a sad smile.  
"Then be happy."  
The Doctor's eyebrows were raised as he looked at her.  
"Be happy, Doctor." 

The song ended and Clara gave the Doctor his earphone back. "I have to go." As she went up to leave, the Doctor quickly typed.  
'WAIT!'  
Clara felt the vibration in her pocket and looked at the text. She looked behind her to see the Doctor tearing a page from his sketchbook.  
"Doctor, you don't have to do that!"  
He raised a hand at her to tell her to stop. The Doctor folded the paper and gave it to Clara.  
He quickly typed down, 'Keep it.'

Clara looked down on the piece of paper on his hand. Slowly, she took the paper and said, "Thank you." but when she looked up. He was gone. Clara turned her head to see if he was anywhere in sight. To no avail, he was gone. Her hands unfurled the piece of paper. It was the drawing of her side profile looking up. With an earphone on her ear. 

Clara felt her heart skip a beat and blushed. She kissed the top of the paper, folded it back and placed it in her pocket. 

Clara walked back home with a warm feeling in her heart.

\--------------

The Doctor, as fast as he could, walked away right after he gave her the sketch. He was blushing like mad. "What were you thinking, Doctor?! You can't just walk out on her like that! Turn around and look at what you've done." he told himself.  
When he turned around, he found Clara placing a soft kiss on the sketch. His eyes widen in shock and his heart was beating fast and his entire face was warm. He turned back at the road and began walking home after he noticed Clara was way ahead of him. A smile made his way through his lips. 

Walking through the streets, Clara unaware that the Doctor lives in the same apartment as her, the two smiled. One blushed softly while the other filled with affection.

I think one of them shed a tear. 

I think it was the taller one. 

As the two reached their flats never realizing they lived so close; slumped down at the door.

Clara reached for her pocket and looked at the picture once more smiling. She never appreciated something so much in her life.

When the Doctor slumped down at the door, the palm of his hands reached his eyes as he wiped down tears. Was there something in his eye? Or was he just really emotional. Nobody accepted him before, why now?  
Was this a pity? Or was she really showing affection? 

He couldn't tell after being lonely for 41 years.

But he thinks it was affection.

He smiled at himself and hugged his knees close to his chest seeking some kind of comfort.

"Yeah... It was affection"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter contains swearing!

The next week came rolling by. Clara did her usual. She took a shower, changed clothes, and rushed out the door. 

She went into Starbucks and ordered her usual. Clara looked around for a moment to try to find the Doctor. As she looked around, she frowned that she didn't see him today. Her eyes were fixed on her phone until the barista called her name. Clara took the drink into her hands, took a sip and left the shop.

\--------------

The Doctor was sleeping soundly until his alarm woke him up. He winced as the annoying blare from his alarm clock blasted throughout the room. The Doctor slammed his hand on the alarm lazily and wiped his face. He put on his glasses and took himself off of the bed. God, he was such a mess. His room was dark and there was barely any sunlight. The Doctor got up and tread to the bathroom. He flicked opened the lights which made him squint. The man took off his glasses, undressed and stepped into the shower. 

As he took a shower, the man was thinking about what happened a week ago. Clara... she liked it? Did she? He wasn't sure. It made him a bit frustrated. The Doctor wasn't exactly good with emotions. Especially with himself. It has been a week since that happened why was he still thinking about this?!

He sat down in the tub of his bath and began thinking. 'Last week... my face was hot... and my heart felt like it was... soaring?' He wanted to cry because it all seemed so new to him. This new feeling... this feeling... what was this feeling?

The Doctor closed his eyes and dozed off in the shower.

His eyes were open and he was in his shop. His little shop called the TARDIS. He looked around and found a customer right in front of him, as he greeted the student with a wave of his hand, the student began yelling at him. 

"HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME?" he shouts at the Doctor. The Doctor frowned at the question, he was about to talk, but nothing came out of his mouth. The Doctor's hands were rubbing his throat until he looked up. 

He was younger. Much younger. He was fourteen. Year Nine of High School. 

John was a shy kid. He used to talk a lot when he was in Elementary, but now something happened. He didn't know what happened, but he just felt more... lonely? He walked through the halls of his school when someone much bigger than him stopped right in front of him. 

"Hey, watch it!" 

John looked up with wide eyes. He tried to say "sorry", but it couldn't come out of his mouth. The bigger man turned around and shoved him to a locker holding him up, "I said 'Watch it', kid. Are ya deaf or something?''  
John shook his head so fast he could've gotten whiplash.  
"Then did you hear me loud and clear?"  
John was shaking, slowly nodding his head.  
"I SAID DID YOU HEAR ME LOUD AND CLEAR?!" 

The rest of the students in the halls all watched the scene, murmuring at each other. John quickly nodded his head and was dropped to the floor. The bully took one last look at him and walked away. 

It became frequent. He would always get picked around by him. For being selectively mute. He didn't know what was wrong with him. The Doctor. He couldn't open his mouth anymore to form words. It was one day when he got picked on, someone saved him? 

John received a bloody nose and a bruise on the cheek from the bully.  
"WILL, STOP!" the bully turned around to see his friend standing there in shock. The bully, 'Will', dropped John to the floor, "River, it's not what it looks like."  
"It's not what it looks like? Is that what you're going to tell me right when I've literally seen it in front of me? What kind of a bullshit lie is that?!"  
River took his wrist and pulled Will to the side to help John up, "Hey, are you okay?"  
John opened his eyes slowly, his eyes adjusting to the scene in front of him. People were crowding around him, River and Will. He was that River offered him a hand he slowly took it and raised himself up with the help of River.

The scene changed right in front of him and River and John were taking a ride in River's new ride. They were going to take the ride for a spin. They've been together for a long time. Since they were Year 10. They were both 21.  
John was anxious about this day in particular. As they were speeding through the street, John saw something come into the street ahead of them. His eyes widen and his hand found it's way tugging at River's sleeve.  
"What is it?"  
John pointed at the road, but River didn't see what he was pointing at. Panicking and hurriedly, John took both his hands and pushed the steering wheel leaving the car going off course. 

CRASH-

His head was spinning. He groaned in pain as he opened his eyes. Immediately, he realized where he's been. Eyes widening, he looked at the driver seat. He saw River, limp. His eyes swelled with tears. Hands went to shake River and for once in his life, he began speaking, "River?"  
He shook her body more roughly trying to wake his girlfriend up, "River? Come on... You're scaring me." his voice faltered. He got out of the car and opened the door to the driver's seat. John took River's body out of the car and into the street and checked her pulse. A drop fell from his cheek and onto River's palm.  
Sirens were heard in the distance. He didn't dare take his eyes off of River. So... he held her hand one last time, face buried on her chest. 

It was the last time he ever talked.

The Doctor woke up in a cold sweat. He was still in the shower. The Doctor turned off the water and checked his phone which was placed by his sink. His eyes widen in shock, 'Oh my god. I'm going to be late' 

\-----------------

Clara was waiting in the park where the Doctor and her now meet at 3:40. She checked her phone. He was running late by 10 minutes. Clara sighed and looked around to check any sign of the Doctor. She was about to leave until someone sat beside her. She looked up and saw the Doctor.  
"Hey!"  
Her phone rang, 'hey...'  
Clara looked at the text, brows furrowed, "Are you okay, Doctor?"  
The Doctor hummed and waved it off. He offered Clara an earbud and began listening to the Panic! playlist.

The playlist was on shuffle and 'Far Too Young to Die' began playing. The tune was melancholic, it was what the Doctor felt today.  
The song playing felt empty. If the Doctor wanted to describe what empty was like, he would choose this song.  
"Doctor... something's wrong. I can feel it. Tell me... What's up?"  
His eyes looked heavy and tired, he sighed and began texting on his phone, 'Well... there isn't anything much to say... Is there?'  
Clara rolled her eyes, "I didn't see you at Starbucks this morning."  
'I was running late. I slept in.'  
Clara raised her eyes skeptically, "You slept in? Really?"  
The Doctor frowned and his eyebrows were furrowed, 'Yes. Is that too much of an answer? I slept in.' he was typing furiously. 

'Did I do something wrong?' Clara thought to herself. The Doctor regained his composure and began typing gently once more, 'I'm sorry... I should go.'  
He took the earbud from Clara and walked away. He didn't even turn back. Stunned, Clara was left at the park bench alone. Today's meeting ran short.

\----------------

The Doctor quickly made his way back to his flat and slammed the door and fell to the floor.  
'What is wrong with me?' he thought to himself. He was curled up into a ball at the center of his living room. He clutched his legs and held them tighter than before, tears escaping his eyes.

'Why am I even still here? Why did I run off like that?! WHY?! Why? W-why...?'

He stayed in the exact same position for one hour until he got up and changed in his bedroom. 

As the night rolled by, Clara was on her bed getting ready to go to bed. When she placed down her book by her bedside, she glanced at the sketch the Doctor gave her. She smiled a sad smile until she turned off her lamp and rolled to her side to sleep. 

The sleep didn't last long, however. Clara's phone buzzed which woke her up. It was 11:00 at night. She went to bed at 10:30. 'Why now?' she thought. Her hand found it's way, to her phone and checked the contact.  
It was... The Doctor?  
'Weird. I thought he would text' she swiped her phone to answer and lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello?"  
Instead of a greeting back, the phone was introduced with a synth. It was the same beat to 'Far Too Young to Die'  
She then heard the strumming of an electric guitar that replaced the vocals of the song.  
"Doctor?" it was odd hearing this across the phone. She also thought she could hear it from the hallway too.  
The strumming died down and Clara couldn't help but notice small gasps of air coming from the other end. 

"Doctor...?" she said, slowly. She was about to hang up until she heard a sharp inhale, followed by a quivering sigh and a sniffle. Her heart instantly broke. The call ended suddenly and Clara didn't realize she was sitting up on her bed. Waiting for the Doctor to text her.  
The Doctor was typing, 'I'm in flat 1212.'  


Clara's eyes widen, she put on a hoodie and slippers and made her way out of her flat, to the flat across from her at the other side of the big gap where the courtyard is displayed. She went to the door that said 1212 and knocked. Immediately after knocking, the Doctor opened the door with his eyes red-rimmed looking more tired than this afternoon. He was wearing plaid pyjama pants and a David Bowie t-shirt.  
He looked down and his eyes met Claras. From there, he went in and gave her a hug. Clara returned the hug.

"Let's go inside, yeah?" 

He let go from the hug, eyes redder and nodded. Clara stepped in and the Doctor closed the door behind him.

'Oh my god, John why are you doing this to yourself?!'


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor stepped into his flat after Clara, closing the door behind him. He was too tired to panic at this point.  
"It's dark in here, Doctor."  
The Doctor flicked open the lights to his living room. It was, in fact, a mess. He took out his phone and typed, 'I'm sorry to wake you up late...'  
Clara sighed, "Doctor, I told you this afternoon, and I was right. What's wrong?" 

He guided Clara to the living room and sat her down.  
'I'm going to make some tea,' he typed. Clara checked her phone and nodded, "Okay."  
A few minutes later, the Doctor came back with two cups of tea. One for Clara and one for him. He set the two cups down on the table and he sat down beside Clara, burying his face on her shoulder. He sighed a shakily and held on to Clara.

"Doctor... What's wrong?" Clara said in a hushed voice.  
He typed, 'There's nothing wrong with me... I only told you that I was mute. I didn't tell you that I was selectively mute.'  
Clara's eyes were sad when they made eye contact with each other. Clara hugged the Doctor's waist with her head resting on the Doctor's chest.  
"Why?"  
The Doctor looked at her confused with his eyebrows furrowed.  
"Why be selectively mute?"  
'That's another question for another day, Clara.'

He didn't want to say he was quiet ever since River died. That's also another story for another day for Clara. He isn't ready, but having Clara close to him felt like the best thing ever. His heart was racing with her.

' I will tell you a bit, though.' he typed.  
"Okay... Tell me." Clara nodded.  
'I...'  
'I was filled with social anxiety when I came into Year 9. I didn't know what happened because I used to be full of talk when I was younger. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even my own family. I didn't know why, but it just happened. I was scared to talk to anyone. I got bullied for being selectively mute. Nobody understood why I was extremely quiet. I got picked on a lot in my ninth year. My fears came true and it happened at my lowest...'  
He didn't notice, but he hugged Clara tighter and a tear fell to the top of Clara's head.  
Her heart broke at the message and the drop that fell onto her head.  
'I haven't used my voice for the longest time, Clara... I don't think I have the courage to even talk anymore...'

There was a comfortable silence, until Clara spoke, "Maybe we could change that"  
The Doctor looked at her a bit skeptical until he typed, 'How?'  
"Maybe you could teach me sign?"  
His face was written in shock, 'S-Sign? Isn't that a bit much?'  
"It isn't, Doctor if you teach me sign, then I could understand you instead of texting out at the park. Y'know? So you couldn't waste your phone battery on me." she chuckled at the last bit and so did the Doctor.  
The Doctor sat up a bit and placed a kiss on Clara's forehead just at her hairline.  
'Thank you...'  
"It's not a problem, Doctor." she smiled as she looked up at him. He smiled back and came back to hugging Clara.

Ever since she came into the Doctor's flat, she didn't have the chance to look around until now. She noticed beside the couch they were sitting on was an amp and beside it was an electric guitar.  
"You played Far Too Young to Die... Were you fond of the song, just like Always, Doctor?"  
He nodded in response.  
"It was a sad one, yeah?"  
He nodded again.  
Clara's gaze was fixed onto the guitar, "Can you play a song? It's the middle of the night, but you woke me up with a song anyways."  
The Doctor let go of Clara and picked up his guitar plugging in the amp and the cord to his guitar. he adjusted the settings to low. Low enough for the two of them to hear, and low enough to not wake up the neighbors.  
As he slung his guitar around him, he typed, 'I hope you know this one.'  
He began strumming and plucking to Ziggy Stardust.  
Clara smiled and chuckled, "Ziggy Stardust."  
The Doctor nodded. When he played the guitar, he saw Clara's eyes close and doze off into sleep. 

The Doctor got up, gently placing Clara's head on the seat. He took his guitar and placed it on the stand by his amp. He figured that Clara was uncomfortable, so he picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. Which is even worse because it was messier than the living room. Clothes strung everywhere and laid on the floor. He gently placed Clara on his bed and the Doctor cleaned up his room a bit.  
After tidying up his room he looked at Clara and sat down on his bed, stroking her hair. His hand was placed on her face and he felt Clara lean against his hand. His eyes widened in surprise and his heart soared again. 

'Am I... Developing feelings? Love...? For the first time in 41 years?' he thought to himself. His thumb wiped a non-existent tear from Clara's cheek before tucking her into the bed. He looked at her once more before entering the bed beside her under the covers. He wrapped his arm around Clara's torso and nestled his head onto her shoulder. Clara's body shifted closer to the Doctor and the Doctor hugged her tighter never letting her go. 

After a while of contemplating, Clara began snoring softly. The Doctor placed a kiss on her head before dosing off. His nose behind her neck. 'This is insanely intimate...' the Doctor thought before sleeping. 

The sight was beautiful. The Doctor slept soundly and comfortably. Clara slept a good sleep.

\------------

The next day was around the corner. It was Saturday, meaning no students.

Clara rolled over as her arm smacked the empty space beside her, not feeling any warmth. Her eyes flitted open and took in the sights. She isn't in her room, but in somebody else's, she panicked for a bit until she realized she was at the Doctor's place. Clara got out of the bed and made her way to the door. Her eyes peered in the living room not finding the Doctor. She poked her head through the kitchen door and found the Doctor making some bacon. At a table fit for two, there were two bowls with rice and egg on top of it.  
"Hey, Doctor."  
The Doctor turned his head to face Clara and gave her a little wave. Clara took a seat at one of the chairs. When he turned off the stove, he went to the table and picked up the two bowls and placed it on the countertop. He took tongs that were rested on the pan and placed and even amount of bacon on both the bowls. After all the bacon has been evenly distributed, he placed the two bowls back on the table. One in front of Clara, and the other in front of him. He took a seat the opposite of Clara. He took a fork and began eating his breakfast. Clara followed suit.

Clara didn't notice before, but there was a speaker connected to his phone that played songs from the 70s and 80s in the background quietly.

As Clara and the Doctor ate, she asked, "How are you feeling?"  
The Doctor looked up from his food, took out his phone and began typing while chewing, 'Better than last night. Thank you.'  
"Hey, there's no need to thank me. Honestly, it's the least I could do to help a friend and apparently a neighbour!" she giggled a bit which sent the Doctor's heart beating. He smiled with closed lips and continued eating. 

As they finished eating the Doctor and Clara placed their finished bowls in the sink. When Clara rolled the sleeves of her hoodie, the Doctor stopped her and he began cleaning the dishes instead. So Clara went and walked to the living room. It was slightly lit from the sunlight outside and she could make out her surroundings better than last night. The guitar was still there placed on the stand by the amp. A TV was set in front of the couch with a Blu-ray underneath with a collection of Blu-ray DVDs. There was a picture beside the couch that looked like the Doctor, but younger. It wasn't exactly full of colour, but it was like a school photo. He had hair that was almost untamed and it was a nice brown colour. His facial features were much softer and obviously, his eyebrows remained dominant. 

Clara heard the sink from the kitchen turn off and her gaze was turned away from the picture and at the entranceway of the kitchen where the Doctor walked out and sat beside Clara on the couch.  
'So... sign-language'  
"Should we do like a schedule? Like... every time we meet at the park and listen to music, we should do sign? And every Saturday or Sunday you teach me something."  
The Doctor thought for a moment until he nodded. 

That is exactly what they did for a month.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time moves in a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff okay?! Also, happy new year!! Have a late Christmas gift from me 😅

As a month passed, the Doctor and Clara have been meeting up at the park almost everyday brushing up their skills with sign language. Another month passed and Clara was beginning to do sign almost nonchalantly. Of course, with a bit of help from the Doctor, she hit it off. They did it often and didn't realize that December was right at their doorstep. Meaning Christmas is around the corner.

As the Doctor's shop was hitting closing time, Bill came in, bringing a bit of cold from outside. Without saying anything, she sat down at the chair by the counter. Shrugging off her coat and placing her bag under the chair. The shop owner raised an eyebrow and began writing on his whiteboard, 'Yes, Bill?'  
She was smiling as if she found a secret, "Tell me about her!"  
The Doctor looked at her confused, 'Who?'  
"Your secret girlfriend!"  
His face turned red in embarrassment and began writing quickly, 'She's not my girlfriend! Who told you that?!'  
"Oh... Just some friends..."  
The Doctor looked at her as if he was whining, 'Biiiiiill! We're just friends!'  
Bill looked at him smugly, "Oh yeah? Then what are you giving her for Christmas?"  
The Doctor smiled to himself as he wrote down his answer on the whiteboard, 'I wrote her a song.'  
"And you're telling me that she isn't your girlfriend." Bill looked at him unimpressed.  
The Doctor looked like he just got caught like a deer in headlights and Bill laughed, "So! How are you gonna tell her that you love her?"  
He groaned. 'In due time Bill. Not now.'

A silence filled the room in a moment until Bill spoke up, "You're still not telling me about her. Tell me about her Doctor!"  
The Doctor looked down as if he was in thought before he smiled and wrote, "Her name is Clara."

\----------------

As the Doctor waits for Clara in the park, he set up the playlist they were going to listen to. It was the same playlist he listened to while eating breakfast with Clara that one time. He was deep in thought on how he's going to confess to Clara that he loves her until someone sat beside him, which cut off his train of thought. He looked beside him to see Clara. She was smiling, looking up at him and he smiled back.  
"Hey, Doctor"  
"Hello, Clara," he said in sign. Before anything else, he handed her an earbud and she placed it in her ear. He began playing the playlist and 'I Want To Break Free' began playing.  
"Going anywhere for Christmas, Doctor?" She asked.  
The Doctor shook his head and continued, "No. I'm staying here. I got no one to celebrate the holidays with."  
"Oh... Well, if you want you can come over to my place and celebrate with me and my family. If you're comfortable with it though. I don't mind if you aren't"  
"I'll pass on the family part, sorry. I don't feel comfortable around that. But I can come over when everyone else is gone!"  
Clara beamed and said, "Alright! Then you got yourself a date!"  
The Doctor raised his eyebrows in surprise and so did Clara, "I-I mean that well. Now we're hanging out at my place. I-I meant it like that. S-sorry."  
"It's okay. I'm looking forward to it." He smiled and went back to listening to the playlist.

Oh how much he wanted to say, "Every day when I see you, I always wonder how beautiful you are." but he isn't ready to simply say that. He has to muster a whole lot of courage to simply even say a simple, "Hi!" or "Hello". It would take a miracle just for that to happen.

Clara really wanted to say something to the Doctor. She rested her head on his shoulder. He flinched for a bit before he relaxed which gained a chuckle from Clara.  
She wanted to say to the Doctor one day, "Voice or no voice, no matter what. I love you, Doctor." but today may not be the day she confesses.

\-----------------

As Clara entered her flat, she began thinking about what she should give to the Doctor. She was sprawled on the couch thinking about what she would buy for the Doctor while watching a show called "The Good Place" on Netflix. As she watched Michael trying to solve the Trolley Problem, something clicked.  
"Why not give him a ring?" 

When the Doctor walked into his flat, he took off his coat and threw it somewhere on the floor. He took off his boot and sat on the couch. He took his guitar from across the couch, connected the guitar to his amp and began plucking at the strings. He wrote a song for Clara that had no words but a sweet melody. If he played the piano, it would sound as if the snow was falling gently or it would've sounded as if a miracle has happened. Smiling, he practiced the piece once more before putting back his guitar on the stand.

\---------------

As Christmas arrived, the Doctor was waiting patiently for a call from Clara. He settled on the couch with a cup of tea. Turning on the TV watching something that came out of Netflix. "What to watch, what to watch..." The Doctor hummed scrolling through Netflix. He then stumbled upon something... a bit odd? "'Shrek: The Musical'?... What the hell? If it catches my attention then sure I'll watch it."  
Yeah, he began watching Shrek the Musical.

In the meantime, Clara was having dinner with her family.  
"So... Seeing anyone lately, Clara?" Her Dad asked.  
"Me? No. Why?" Clara lied. Of course, she was seeing someone. The Doctor.  
"Yeah. Why ask? She clearly doesn't have her life in order." Linda commented. How much she hated Linda.

This was going to be a long dinner...

\----------------

When Clara waved her family goodbye, her Gran stayed behind for a bit.  
"I know you're seeing someone, Clara. Don't worry! I won't tell them." she smiled. Her Gran always had her back.  
"I'm not sure Dad would approve. He's way older than me, but I love him. He's coming over after you guys leave."  
"It's alright. You're secret's safe with me." She placed her hand over her heart as if swearing she would never tell them and smiled.  
"Thanks, Gran." Clara smiled back and waved her goodbye as she left her apartment. Clara watched as her family and Linda take the lift down to the lobby. As the elevator door closed, she took out her phone and called the Doctor. 

The Doctor finished watching Shrek when he hugged a pillow close to him. As he watched the last number with the song "I'm a Believer" his phone rang. He checked the caller and it was Clara! His eyes lit up and answered the call and hung up going to his messages. He typed, "I'm coming! Hold on!"  
Clara sent, "My family just left. Hurry!"  
He smiled before placing his phone in his pocket. The pillow fell from his lap as he took his electric guitar along with him. He went to his kitchen to find his little speaker. It was also a mini amp! Handy for on-road gigs because why not? He was all over the place. He even went to his room to find a smaller cord for the guitar. The Doctor slung his guitar with a mini amp and a cord in one hand and left his apartment. He looked across the halls and found Clara looking at him. He quickly went around the square court and made his way to Clara's flat.  
"What's all this?" She smiled as she let him enter her flat. He took off his shoes and officially entered her flat. He looked around, it's a lot cleaner than his own. He saw the sofa and placed his mini amp on the table and gently placed his guitar by the sofa and set the cords on the floor.  
Clara looked at him as if he was insane before he began doing sign and blushed at the same time, "I wrote a song for you. It's Christmas so I thought, 'Why not give you something personal?'"  
Clara could have sworn her heart melted, "Aww Doctor! You sap." She smiled as she sat beside the lanky old man and hugged his arm. He stiffened up a bit before becoming comfortable.  
"Since you're here, what do you want to watch?"  
"What have you been watching lately?" he gestured  
"'The Good Place'. It's a really good show."  
He cocked his head to the side thinking about it before gesturing, "I'll be the judge of that. Let's watch it." 

It turns out, he really enjoyed it. He could really relate the most to Michael.

As the night rolled by, the Doctor and Clara began exchanging gifts. First, it was the Doctor. Clara was sat the chair closest to the dining room and the living room, resting her head at the top of the back of the chair.  
"Alright Doctor. Let's see what you've got." She smiled as she watched him set up the amp and the guitar. As he plugged in the cord on both the amp and the guitar, he strummed the strings and the sound resonated through the room. He looked at her asking if he could go. She nodded and smiled, excited to see what he's going to do. 

He began strumming a chord and began plucking the music he wrote. It was soft and nothing intense. Like Clara, soft, but nothing too intense. It was a short little song, like her. But, it's charming, isn't it? The song is so much like her, it's almost as if he was praising her. For being so... Clara. For being... so her.  
He strummed his last chord and looked up at Clara whose cheeks are buried in her hands from smiling. The Doctor smiled and set his guitar down and went to Clara crouching in front of her before engulfing her in a hug. She also wrapped her arms around the Doctor, hands reaching each other at his back. 

"Thank you so much, Clara..." his eyes widen and stiffened and pulled away from the hug stiffly. Holding on to her shoulders with his mouth agape and his eyes on Clara's, mortified. On the other hand, Clara's eyes were in shock and her hand held the Doctor's arms. "You talked..."  
He placed a hand on his mouth and looked down on his knees, "I... I'm sorry." he was trembling and tears welled up in his eyes.  
"Why are you saying sorry, Doctor?" her voice was soft and she cupped his face in her hands forcing the Doctor to look up at her, "Why are you saying sorry?"  
"I... It just came out of the blue... I-I didn't know what happened I." He started slowly until rushing to the end and began hyperventilating. 

He was scared. The Doctor took the hand on his cheek and closed it with both his hands and placing it near his lips. Then, Clara got on the floor with the Doctor and gave him a hug in which he gladly took.

“Doctor... it’s okay... I’ve got you... I got you...”  
They stayed liked that for a long time. Until Clara spoke once more, “You’re Scottish.”  
The Doctor swallowed, “Glasgow.”  
“I’m sorry you have to see me this way... it’s just... talking to anyone is so overwhelming. I- I get scared on how people would judge me I just.” He sniffled and he gave it a shaky sigh.  
“Hey, you’re talking to me. That’s good? Right?”  
“Y-yeah... you do things. Clara Oswald. I just don’t know how to say it.”

“I love you.” said Clara. The Doctor’s tear ridden eyes widened in shock. “I’ve always wanted to say this, I love you, Doctor. Voice or no voice at all. I don’t care. I love you.” She let go of the hug and proceeded to take something out of her pocket.  
“I didn’t know what to give you, and I thought ‘what about a ring?’ So, I went and bought you a ring...” she took out a small ring with a green jewel in the middle between two bands. She took one of the Doctor’s hands and placed the ring on his middle finger. It fit perfectly.  
He looked down at the ring and back at Clara, “It’s beautiful... I- I don’t deserve this, Clara really I don’t—“  
Clara cut him off with a hush, “You are the most important person to me and if I honestly never met you, I would’ve been off with some bloke that I never felt a connection with.”

The Doctor looked at her once more until bursting back into small tears, “Oh Clara, my Clara...” before he could do anything, Clara made the first move and leaned in, and gave him a kiss.

The Doctor accepted as he leaned in as well. With trembling hands, the Doctor cupped Clara’s cheeks as he felt his own tears running down his face. Wiping Clara’s silent tears as well. 

The two let go of the kiss and breathed.

“Merry Christmas, Doctor.”

“Merry Christmas, my Clara.”


	6. Chapter 6

Throughout Christmas night, the Doctor stayed in Clara's flat until they dozed off into sleep. The next morning, the Doctor had a pounding headache from all the wine he drank with Clara. As he sat up from the bed, he looked around but the room was swirling, so he laid back down on the bed and snuggled up close to Clara.  
"Clara?" he said, still in a bit of shock that after all this time he managed to say some words to Clara. Maybe he could only do sign sometimes rather than all the time.  
A bit quieter, he shook Clara for a bit, "Clara? Are you up?"  
He gained a groan from Clara in response, "Doctor? My head is killing me..."  
The Doctor pulled back his hand worried that he might have triggered something, "Sorry... Sorry..."  
Clara rolled over to the side now facing the Doctor, "Don't be, Doctor." she smiled.  
They stayed in comfortable silence. They both looked down on themselves to find that they are both still in their own clothes. In unison, the sighed in relief. 

"I'm relieved that we just didn't do... that. Last night." Clara sighed.  
"Same here... I'm... Extremely uncomfortable with all that... Physical stuff." he stuttered  
"Then we don't have to do it."  
"Yeah. That's good." the Doctor gave Clara a small smile before he tried to get up from the bed. He adjusted his position so he could be a bit more comfortable. The man looked down on his own torso and found he was stripped from his coat and hoodie and he was only in his Paul Smith t-shirt. The Doctor looked down at Clara who also sat up, rubbing her head that was probably aching. 

The Doctor looked down at his wriggling feet, "About last night, Clara."  
"I know."  
"What?"  
"I know! You talked. I know, but I didn't know you did in your sleep."  
"I, what?" 

\-------------------

When the Doctor drifted off into sleep, it was the same thing again, and again. It was the time he was bullied, then it was his relationship with River and how they both got into a car accident. This time, however, it was different. Before the dream would end with River, this time. There was a silhouette in the distance. It was odder than his usual dreams. His surroundings were a bright, white room and he could see a figure of a person.  
"Hello? Is someone there?" He called out before stepping forwards feeling the floor ripple at a single step.  
"Hello?!" he called out once more before breaking into a run towards the figure. The Doctor squinted and attempted to shield his eyes from the brightness of the room with his arm. He looked much closer before making out who the person was. Short, brown hair. There's only one person he knew.  
"Clara?"  
Instead of running, he began sprinting. Why did it seem that she's so much farther?!  
"CLARA!!" As he finally got close, the Doctor tried to reach out to her, but she dissolved right when he tried to turn her around. The Doctor stumbled with his feet and he tried to recover before beginning to fall. 

He fell and he began falling. The Doctor fell through and the light began growing into darkness. His heart rate sped up and he tried to grab something in the air but there was nothing. Just then, the Doctor heard a voice, rather, multiple voices that he didn't know at all until he realized it was his own.

"It's going to happen again. It always does. You're going to get mocked by many people. There's going to be no escape. You may think that escape is her, but you're just biting into her own time. Think about what she said. Is she really going to keep you? Are you really what she wants? Look at yourself." 

As the voice finished their sentence, John was slammed against the floor before picking himself back up again. Looking around, he found a mirror in front of him.  
"Go ahead and look at yourself. Does she really want a mess? A man who has succumbed to anxiety that he can't talk like a normal person in the real world? Does she really want to be with a man who could be the age of her own DAD? Worse yet, does she really want a man who was lonely for so many years and the only way to reconnect was to be clingy?"

"No! No... no, no, no, NO!" he heard himself say, his mouth finally moving.  
"Oh, but yes, yes, yes, YES!"  
"SHE LOVES ME AND THAT'S IT!"  
"But is it really John? Is it really?"  
"Yes... It is."  
"Are you hearing yourself? Come on, you're even anxious inside your own dream." the voice chuckled darkly. "You are so naive... Spare yourself from connecting to anyone. Better yet, listen to the impossible girl you've been thinking about."

John twirled around in his spot before his eyes drifted on the same figure, but this time, she was facing the Doctor, and not her back.  
"CLARA!!"  
"John..." she said. The Doctor's eyes widen. She never referred to him as his actual name.  
"Clara, I'm scared... Don't leave me please." he tried to reach out for her again until she yelled, "NO!!"  
Startled, the Doctor took a few steps back almost tumbling. Her voice echoed throughout the empty void.  
"I've had enough, Doctor. I really only talked to you because you seemed lonely. That was it."  
"C-Clara, what are you talking about?"  
"Oh my gods, are you really that ignorant?!" She whipped her head up looking directly at the Doctor. Her eyes were filled with frustration and her left hand clenched a crumpled up paper.  
"Take this back... I was better off meeting some other bloke than a mute." Clara threw the crumpled paper to the Doctor's chest before storming off. John caught the paper and opened it. It was the sketch that he gave her. The sketch of her side profile being happy. John traced the lines with his index finger not realizing that tears were being soaked in the pages.

\------------------

"DOCTOR!!"  
The man gasped and breathed heavily as his eyes darted around the area, finding Clara's face in front of him.  
"Clara...?" His voice was hoarse and as he sat up, his fingers traced his face and found it wet. Clara attacked him in a hug and the Doctor took it in surprise. The Doctor's arms were flailed behind her back unsure of where to put his own arms.  
"D-Did I wake you?" he said unsure of what just happened.  
"You're shaking, Doctor. Don't deny it please?"  
"I... I just had a bad dream, that's all."  
"I know... I heard your voice." Her voice was soft, it was enough for the Doctor to handle. She continued, "you sounded so defeated. I had to wake you up..."

The two people remained in silence with the Doctor still in Clara's arms.

Until the man broke the silence with a soft trembling voice, "Do you really love me?"  
"Doctor, we've been through this-"  
He interrupted, "I meant do you really want to be with me?"  
Clara pulled away from the hug to look at him, "Why would you say that? Of course, I do! What was a few hours ago not good enough?"

The two chuckled until the Doctor looked at her seriously once more, "Am I too clingy? Am I just dead weight for you? Do you really want someone to be as old as your Dad? Come on, Clara Oswald. Do you really want to be with an anxiety-driven man to the point they'll refuse to talk to anyone?" He began quivering, so he decided to pause for a second and look around the room. It was Clara's bedroom. To the side was bedside table. On top of it was a lamp and what seemed to be like a piece of paper. Slowly he took the piece of paper and looked at the picture contained in it. It was the sketch.

"Y-you kept it..." he whispered.  
"Of course I did. I would never throw it out."

They shared a quiet moment with each other. The Doctor looking at the drawing, while Clara rubbed his arm in comfort. Right after, the man shook his head, "I don't deserve you, Clara Oswald..."

"And I don't deserve the kindest and most considerate person. That's you by the way." she joked at the end receiving a small smile.

It was a time well spent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to end the story here. I have a feeling this fic is going to drag on if I put in more ideas. I hope you guys enjoyed it either way! If I do manage to have other ideas then maybe a sequel to this fic would happen. Who knows? But until then, I’m gonna leave this here. Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I’ve been writing it :)


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